Sik Kok Kwong
:Sik is a Buddhist honorary title and Kok Kwong is a descriptive of meritorious attributes: see dharma name.
{{Infobox religious biography
|name = {{small|The Most Venerable}} {{small|The Honourable}}
Kok Kwong
{{small|GBM GBS}}
|image= Sik Kokkwong.jpg
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|birth_date={{birth date|1919|5|16|df=yes}}
|birth_place= Haicheng, Liaoning, China
|death_date={{Death date and age|2014|11|16|1919|5|16|df=y}}
|death_place=Happy Valley, Hong Kong, China
|nationality = Chinese
|religion = Buddhism
|school =
|lineage = Tiantai
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|occupation = Founder of Heung Hoi Ching Kok Lin Association
President of the Hong Kong Buddhist Association
|teacher = Yuanying (Ordination master)
Baojing (lineage master)
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{{Chinese|title=Sik Kok Kwong|t=釋覺光|s=释觉光|p=Shì Juéguāng|w=Shih1Chüeh1-kuang1|y=Sīk Gók Gwōng|showflag=p}}
Sik Kok Kwong, GBM GBS{{Cite web |url=http://www.protocol.gov.hk/images/eng/precedence/prelist.pdf |title=Page 15 of HKSAR Precedence List, published by the government of Hong Kong |access-date=2013-12-01 |archive-date=2017-06-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170622171213/http://www.protocol.gov.hk/images/eng/precedence/prelist.pdf |url-status=dead }} (16 May 1919 – 16 November 2014) was a Tiantai Buddhist monk from Hong Kong and the first president of the Hong Kong Buddhist Association. He was also the Honorary Vice President of the World Buddhist Sangha Council, a member of the Hong Kong Basic Law Drafting Committee, and a Hong Kong Affairs Advisor.
Early life
Born Gu Chenghai (谷成海) in Haicheng, Liaoning, Kok Kwong exhibited interest in Buddhism at an early age. At the age of nine, he left the home life and ordained as a novice monk at Haihui Temple in Shanghai in 1928. Two years later, he was introduced to Venerable Yuanying, the abbot of Tiantong Temple in Ningbo, where he received the full precepts as well as a new dharma name, Jueguang (Kok Kwong in Cantonese; lit. "Awakening of Light"). In 1939, Kok Kwong received the Tiantai lineage from Venerable Master Baojing. Through Baojing, Kok Kwong became the 46th lineage holder of the Tiantai sect. Shortly thereafter, following the Japanese invasion of China, Kok Kwong retreated to Hong Kong.
Influence
In his capacity as a senior monastic, Kok Kwong established monasteries and was appointed abbot and director to many temples in Hong Kong. In 1945, Kok Kwong, together with other senior clerics, founded the Hong Kong Buddhist Association. Kok Kwong would later become the association's permanent president in 1966. As president, he oversaw the establishment of several educational institutions, such as the Chung-Hwa Institute of Buddhist Studies in 1945, the Wong Fung Ling College and the Wong Cheuk Um Primary School in 1956, and the Kok Kwong Secondary School in 1979. Hospitals, cemeteries, and the providing of social services were also established under Kok Kwong's leadership.
In Kok Kwong's later years, he along with eight venerables of various traditions proposed the World Buddhist Forum in mainland China in 2004, a suggestion that won support from Buddhist circles in countries like Japan and the Republic of Korea. He also spearheaded two tours of relics of the Buddha in 1999 and in 2003.
=Politics=
Kok Kwong's influence also spread toward the political sphere of Hong Kong, where he was appointed to positions as an adviser to the government following the handover of Hong Kong to the People's Republic of China. Kok Kwong was one of the earliest defenders of the Hong Kong government; for instance in a 2004 interview with the South China Morning Post, he urged Hong Kong's Buddhists to be content with the government and not to attend protests.{{cite web|url=http://news.usti.net/home/news/cn/?/world.asia.hong_kong/2/wed/bp/Uhongkong-buddhists.Rxf8_EyH.html|title=Hong Kong Buddhists Told To Avoid Politics (UPI)|accessdate=August 12, 2006|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927011519/http://news.usti.net/home/news/cn/?%2Fworld.asia.hong_kong%2F2%2Fwed%2Fbp%2FUhongkong-buddhists.Rxf8_EyH.html|archivedate=September 27, 2007}} Kok Kwong also attracted criticism for his close association with billionaire Li Ka-shing and the building of Tsz Shan Monastery, which was sponsored mostly by the Li family.{{Cite web|url=http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1641632/buddhist-patriot-kok-kwong-dies-hong-kong-age-95|title = Hong Kong's Buddhist leader Kok Kwong dies at the age of 95|date = 17 November 2014}} In 2013, Kok Kwong was awarded the Grand Bauhinia Medal for his many years of public service.
Death
In 2014, after a long illness, Kok Kwong died at 4:51am at the age of 95. Several government officials expressed condolences upon hearing news of his death.{{cite web|title=覺光法師圓寂終年95歲|url=http://cablenews.i-cable.com/webapps/news_video/index.php?news_id=445922|publisher=i-cable.com|accessdate=16 November 2014}}{{Dead link|date=October 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}{{Cite web|url=https://hk.news.yahoo.com/%E6%A2%81%E6%8C%AF%E8%8B%B1%E6%B7%B1%E5%88%87%E5%93%80%E6%82%BC%E8%A6%BA%E5%85%89%E6%B3%95%E5%B8%AB%E9%80%9D%E4%B8%96-074500801.html|title = 梁振英深切哀悼覺光法師逝世}}
References
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{{s-ttl|title=President of the Hong Kong Buddhist Association|years=1966 – 2014}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Sik, Kokkwong}}
Category:Hong Kong Buddhist monks
Category:Recipients of the Grand Bauhinia Medal
Category:Recipients of the Gold Bauhinia Star
Category:Hong Kong Basic Law Drafting Committee members
Category:Hong Kong Affairs Advisors
Category:Members of the Selection Committee of Hong Kong